Russian PM Medvedev among those evacuated due to fire threat at Skolkovo innovation hub (VIDEO)

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and other participants of a forum at Russia's innovation hub at Skolkovo have been evacuated after smoke was detected and alarm systems went off, local media report.

Participants of the tech event run by Skolkovo Innovation Center were evacuated after smoke and fumes were spotted inside the building, according to TASS.

People taking part in the event, including PM Medvedev, were asked to leave the building "for safety reasons."

The fire reportedly broke out on the second floor of the building and was promptly extinguished, according to TASS.

Skolkovo's fire protection unit told the news agency that the incident was provoked by a short circuit, believed to have occurred inside a dome sitting atop the building.

Ryan Chilcote, who was moderating the discussion, asked the audience to leave the hall "once it is clear where the noise comes from."

"At first, I took it [the noise] for applause," he added, according to Interfax.

Commenting on the incident, PM Medvedev said he expects the second event to go more smoothly than the previous one.

"We hope that the second event, a meeting of the modernization board, will be more successful," he noted.

The Open Innovations Forum, a three-day event run by Russia's Economy Ministry, brings together tech startups, investors and businesses to find "progressive formulas for generating ideas and creating new products." Among the forum's partners are BMW, Ernst & Young, Aeroflot and other big corporations.

The Skolkovo Innovation Center, located just outside Moscow, was founded in 2009 and has established partnerships with many of the world’s leading IT and telecom giants, including Ericsson, IBM, Intel, Microsoft, Nokia Siemens Networks, SAP, Siemens and the Tata Group.